Page 71 - The Decorative Painter Fall 2017

DECORATIVEPAINTERS.ORG The Decorative Painter • FALL 2017 69
ACRYLIC
If a little formal glitz is your taste, gold leaf is for you! Given the size and importance of this impressive piece, I prefer to do several seasonal inserts that can easily be slipped in and out of the window according to the season. Easy as storing the plywood inserts flat and handy in the bottom of a drawer. An all-season floral will be in the next issue, if you are of a like mind. Perhaps you might like to create a fall insert, Halloween, Easter, etc., as well. Instant on-the-spot holiday décor!
PREPARATION
FRAME
Using a 1" flat shader, apply Midnite Green to the entire window frame. Apply the color gener- ously. Once dry, using a liner or small flat shader, go back and check for any misses of color, or add a second coat to both sides of the frame. Lightly sand all surfaces of the window frame.
ST. NICK INSERT
Apply a coat of Cool Neutral to both sides and the thickness edge of the insert to seal the plywood thoroughly. By using the points of a Dry-It board (or make one by pounding nails through plywood pieces) you can do the back and edge, then place it on the points and imme- diately do the first coat on the top painting sur- face before the back is totally dried. This helps to eliminate warping, which can happen if done side by side, totally drying between. Lightly sand all areas, and tack away sanding dust. You can then apply a second coat of color as with the
first.
GOLD LEAF
THE WINDOW FRAME
I’ve chosen to use a blue variegated leaf for the flat 1" wide horizontal surfaces of the frame. You could also use regular gold leaf sheets if you pre- fer or maybe do flat top areas with a faux marble finish. Be sure you read all product labels.
Using an older no. 8 flat shader, apply water- based metal leaf adhesive evenly on all of the 1" flat top surfaces. Brush out as you go to leave no puddles or streaks of thicker adhesive. Adhe- sive is cloudy white when first applied, and will turn clear as it tacks up enough to lay on leafing. Immediately wash out the adhesive brush with warm, soapy water.
By the time I’d carefully applied adhesive around the frame, I was able to begin dropping portions of a leaf sheet onto the first areas, again working around the frame. I sometimes use a 6" ruler on the edge to tear off narrower strips of leaf when needed. Don’t worry if there is slight overlapping. Do patching using small pieces as you go. Press down the applied leaf to make sure that there are no air pockets using clean fingers, a soft brush or clean cotton balls. Small skips, wrinkles or cracks are fine, allowing the black to peek through here and there if desired.
If you have larger loose overlapping piec- es, carefully pull them off and store between paper sheets for future patching. Allow to dry overnight.
JEAN ZAWICKI